LITTLE ROCK — Train gave Cap’n to NY skipper
New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi recalls being about 8 years old when a train derailed behind his grandparents’ farm and left enough stray boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal to feed him and his four siblings for a full year.
What a treat that became.
The kids typically only got sugar cereal on the weekends, but this was the exception.
“It was the only year we got sugar cereals during the week,” Girardi said Saturday, teasing reporters that they had interrupted his morning cereal ritual.
These days Girardi is lactose intolerant, so he often snacks on the sugary cereals without milk during road trips as most visiting clubhouses don’t keep a lactosefree variety in the fridge.
“My mother lived on a farm when she was growing up, and behind the farm was a train track,”Girardi said. “When I was a kid, my mom’s family still basically owned the house. A train derailed and one of the cars was full of Cap’n Crunch. We had so much Cap’n Crunch over the next year it was amazing. To this day I still like Cap’n Crunch. It’s rough on the roof of your mouth.”
He insists he only needs ahandful to get his fix.
“Most of my cereal I put protein powder on,” he said.
But he still loves to treat himself with a bowl of Cap’n Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms or Honey Nut Cheerios - the latter being his choice before Saturday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
Girardi said he doesn’t remember whether the owner of all that cereal ever came looking for the Cap’n Crunch, which his uncles packed back to the house.
“I don’t know what happened.
I didn’t ask questions, I was like 8 years old,” he said. “It was all Cap’n Crunch, the regular, no berries. We had a lot. It lasted a year in our house, and there were five of us.” Add trains
Shaquille O’Neal said he isstaying put as an NBA television analyst. Although he says he was “clearly intrigued” by the open Orlando Magic general manager job.
Wrote Janice Hough ofleftcoastsportsbabe.com: “Yes, well most Americans do find train wrecks intriguing.” Right time, place
Scott Podsednik might not have been lucky to hit a home run that was the difference in the Boston Red Sox’s 6-5 victory Wednesday over the Baltimore Orioles, but he was lucky to be in the big leagues.
The former Chicago White Sox left fielder was hitting .203 as a member of Ryne Sandberg’s Lehigh Valley IronPigs when the Red Sox made a deal to get him.
The Red Sox have 13 players on the disabled list, and the seven outfielders include Carl Crawford (elbow), Jacoby Ellsbury (shoulder) and Ryan Sweeney (seven-day concussion DL).
“I’m just happy to be back,” said the 36-year-old Podsednik, whose Game 2 home run was the key hit in the 2005 World Series.
“It has been a long haul, but you never know what can happen.” Gift givers
Headline at Fark.com, after Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick announced his wedding date: “Couple now registered at Macy’s, Bloomingdales, PetSmart.”Quote of the day
“I think we’re going to
see the best race we’ve had in at least a decade.” Car owner Roger Penske on today’s Indianapolis 500
Sports, Pages 24 on 05/27/2012